Hanger for trousers



Sept. 2, i969 o. H. G. APEL HANGER FOR TROUSERS Filed March l5, 1968Unted States Patent O M U.S. Cl. 223-96 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A simple device for hanging trousers from the cuff portionsthereof. Includes means for the suspension of the device and thetrousers hung thereon from the rod of a clothes closet, wardrobe and thelike. The weight of the device tends to facilitate insertion and removalof a pair of trousers without the necessity of removing the device fromsuch rods. A pair of resilient hanger members slidably mounted on atrack comprised of a pair of vertically spaced guide rails serves toobviate crimped cuffs and to preserve creases therein and in the trouserlegs. The device may also be incorporated in an ordinary coat hanger.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the present invention is toprovide an improved device relatively to the garment hanger art, and isdirected particularly to a novel hanger for trousers that is adapted toobviate the need of manipulating clamps or other contrivances in theattainment of such objective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention includes four major components,these being a horizontal track, a pair of identical clip elements thatare slidably mounted on the track, and appropriate meansfor suspendingthe track and the therewith associated clip elements from above. Thetrack component consists of a pair of vertically spaced and alignedguide rods or rails that are preferably circular in cross-section. Theclip elements are formed from a single strip of resilient material thatis preferably metallic, but may be plastic if desirable. Each clipelement has formed therein a pair of loop formations that slidablyencompass portions of the vertically spaced track rails, so that theclip may be manually moved rightwardly or leftwardly along thehorizontal track component.

Means are provided for maintaining the sections of the clips between theloop formations, and the sections extending below the lower loopformations in rigid condition. Below said means, each clip has a pair ofdependent resilient dual leg formations adapted to achieve the primaryobject of the invention as will be explained hereinafter.

The guide rail or track component of the invention and the clips mountedthereon may be independently suspended or incorporated in for example aconventional coat hanger.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated on a sheet ofdrawings that accompanies this specication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA-WINGS FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of adevice incorporating the concepts of the present invention, the cuifedend portions of a pair of trousers being shown in broken lines;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view similar to FIGURE l with certainincluded elements being shown in adjusted 3,464,605 Patented Sept. 2,1969 ICC position, and the cuted end portions of said pair of trousersbeing shown in unbroken lines;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 4 ofFIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view similar to FIGURE 4 with certain includedelements being shown in a diierent status; and

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view on a reduced scale, illustrating theinvention exemplarily incorporated in a conventional coat hanger.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The device comprising thepresent invention is generally designated by the numeral 10. It includesas its major components a guide or track member 12, a pair of identicalhanger clips 14 that are slidably mounted on the track member, and ahook assembly 16 for suspending the entire device 10l from anappropriate horizontally disposed rod.

The track member 12, shown, includes a horizontal upper guide rail 18and a similar lower guide rail 20 connected by opposed end segments 22.The rails 18 and 20 are circular in cross-section, and as shownparticularly in FIGURES 2 and 4, are disposed in spaced verticalalignment. The drawing indicates that the track member 12 is fashionedfrom one continuous metallic bar of round stock, but it will beunderstood that this is not critical and may be varied.

Each of the clips 14 however, is fashioned from a single strip ofresilient material 23 that is preferably metallic but may be plastic.The not-in-use configuration of one of the clips 14 is best shown inFIGURE 2. It includes an upper loop 24 that is slidable on the upperrail 18, and a lower loop 26 that is slidable on the lower rail 20, saidloops being connected by a iirst vertical section designated 28. Asecond vertical section 30 extends below the loop 26, the segments ofstrip material adjacent said loop being secured together by means of arivet 32 as shown, or otherwise. It should thus be apparent that therivet 32 maintains the thereabove portions of the clip 14 in rigidstatus, whereas the therebelow portions of the clip are free andinherently resilient.

Thus, each clip 14 further includes a pair of perpendicular primary legmembers 34 that arcuately merge at the top into upwardly inwardlyconvergent segments 36 that in turn merge into the section 30` below therivet 32. At the bottom, each leg member 34 terminates in a V- shapedextremity that includes a preferably rounded apex segment 37, and atherefrom angularly upwardly and inwardly projecting segment 38. Theupper end of each segment 38 merges arcuately into a secondaryperpendicular leg member 40 that merges at the top into an inwardlyinclined terminal segment 42.

The hook assembly 16 shown is comprised of an inverted T-shapedcomponent 42 whereinto lthe end portions of the upper guide rail 18 andthe lower end portion of a hook member 44 are press-fitted as suggestedby broken lines in FIGURE 1. It should of course be understood that theillustrated hook assembly arrangement 16 may be modified, or it may bedispensed with for example, when the invention is incorporated in aconventional coat hanger such as that depicted in FIGURE 6.

Use

Shown in broken lines in FIGURES 1 and 2, and in unbroken lines inFIGURES 3, 4 and 5, are the cuifed end portions A of a pair of trouserlegs B. The cutfed end portions A shown are conventional, and it is notdeemed necessary to elaborate on the construction thereof whereby theperipheral two-ply outer cutis C are formed. Normally (the trousersbeing in pressed condi- 3 tion), the outer cuff C lies against theadjacent portion of the leg B as shown in FIGURE 4.

With particular reference to FIGURES 1 and 2, it will be assumed thatvia the hook 44, the device is suspended from a clothes closet rod sodiametered that said hook tirmly though releasably embraces said rod. Insuch status, the inherent weight of the device augmented by theresistance to upward movement afforded by the rod, serves to obviateremoval of said device in order to properly insert the trouser legs intothe hanger clips 14. It will of course be understood that the about tobe described insertion of the trousers may also 4be accomplished on abed or the like, whereupon the device may be hung on the rod.

Assuming then that the cuffs C had been manually aligned as isunderstood, insertion thereof as suggested by the broken line arrows awould comprise the initial step of procedure` As the juxtaposed cutis Care being elevated manually by grasping the opposed creased ends thereofas should be understood, the clips 14 will assume the status thereofillustrated in FIGURE 4. There it is seen that the resilient primary legmembers 34 together with the secondary leg members 40 are concurrentlydistended outwardly from their not-in-use FIGURE 2 status. Upwardmovement would be continued as suggested by the broken line arrow buntil the rounded edges E of the cutis reached a point slightly abovethe top marginal extremities of the segments 42. Toward the end of thisaction, it should be apparent although not illustrated, that thesecondary leg segments 42 will have automatically sprung inwardlyagainst the trouser portions B, so that release of the trousers wouldresult in the cuff disposition thereof shown in FIGURE 5. Following thegravitational descent of the trousers to produce the FIGURE 5 cuitstatus, the clips 14 would be moved outwardly in opposite directionsuntil arrested by the creased extremities of the cuffs C. Consequentlyas demonstrated in FIGURE 3, the intermediate portions of said cuffswould be maintained in a stretched status until the trousers aremanually removed as should be understood.

In view of the foregoing description and the comprehensively illustrateddrawings, it is believed that an adequate disclosure of the inventionhas been presented. The invention may obviously be modified withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for hanging a pair of trousers via the cuted end portionsthereof, the combination of:

a track member including a horizontal upper guide rail and a similarlower guide rail, said rails being circular in cross-section and beingdisposed in spaced vertical alignment relatively to each other;

a pair of identical hanger clips slidably mounted on the track memberand individually movable therealong, each clip being fashioned from asingle strip of resilient material to include an upper loop and a lowerloop, said loops being formed in vertically spaced alignment with thedistance between them corresponding to that obtaining between the twoguide rails of the track member, each loop being so diametered as toembrace one of said guide rails, the segments of the strip extendingbetween the loops being contiguously disposed, and the segments of thestrip extending below the lower loop being secured together by afastener element whereby to maintain the thereabove portions of the clipin rigid status; and

means incorporated in each clip ybelow said fastening element forreleasably retaining the cuffed end portions of the legs of saidtrousers in a stretched condition; said means including a pair ofopposed perpendicular primary leg members and a pair of opposedperpendicular secondary leg members; each primary leg member mergingarcuately at the top into one of a pair of upwardly inwardly convergentsegments that in turn merge into the segments of the clip extendingbelow the fastener element aforesaid, and terminating at the bottom in aV-shaped extremity that includes a rounded apex segment and a therefromangularly upwardly and inwardly projectng segment; each secondary legmember merging at the bottom into the upper end portion of one of saidangularly upwardly and inwardly projecting segments, and merging at thetop into an upwardly inwardly inclined terminal segment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,205,889 11/ 1916 Halvorson24-259 2,220,601 ll/ 1940 Gillett 24-259 2,401,413 6/1946 Colwell ---q n223--96 2,898,024 8/1959 Jenson 223-91 3,077,291 2/ 1963 Kennedy 223--88MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner GEORGE H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner

